My eating plan is Sugar Busters, so as long as I am careful with portions, I can eat just about whatever I want. My favorite "restaurant" is the Wilbur & Orville Wright Cafe and Grill (I know, a mouthful) on Hickam AFB. Our family of five (four who actually eat food ) can eat there for about $25. On base restaurants are one of the underrated perks of the military. It's right across from the O club, and so obviously has the same cooks, but I digress. My point was, I can get their pot roast and a double side of vegetables, and as long as I cut the fat off the roast I'm good to go. They do look at us funny for turning down a potato, but in Hawaii folks eat rice 3x a day! (Sticky white rice, which has a very high GI.)
I am most interested right now in relearning my hunger/satiety signals. It has weightloss slow going, but I'm not gonna be skinny & I don't want to be. I have a healthy body fat percentage right now even if I'm technically overweight. I'm good at eyeballing portions, but breastfeeding means that sometimes I need extra.
When we get back to Texas, I'm campaigning to get a little piece of land out in the country & start homesteading. That's what'll really make me happy. I never ate vegetables as often as when I grew my own as a kid. I much prefer my veggies raw.
I think that there are a couple of things that work together with food and dieting. One thing is we have been so conditioned through marketing to think that we have to eat really bland, tasteless stuff in order to lose weight. On a very basic level, and this is a matter of biology, we like stuff that is sweet and fatty. If you look at breastmilk, the ideal first food, it is sweet (it tastes like a vanilla milkshake, really) and it's got a high fat content. So from the start we're taught to like that.
But even breastmilk doesn't have the sugar content of the stuff we're taught to love, or the fat content. So what tastes good to us are things like chocolate cake, fried chicken, etc. And to lose weight so many of us go completely overboard in the other direction and cut out all the good stuff, or eat the packaged diet foods...And it's just doomed to failure, because it's not what we're born to enjoy, and most of us can't eat that sort of thing for long! It is possible to retrain your palate to enjoy much less sweet offerings (I couldn't eat the typical Yoplait anymore if you paid me to) and to not like fried things...but there's always going to be a yearning for what's "forbidden."
I always eat food I love. I haven't cut out "anything". What I've done is changed my daily diet to whole grains, lean meats, and good foods. But if I'm out and there's no whole wheat bread, sometimes I'll skip bread, sometimes I'll have just a small bit of it. Someone mentioned not finding low cal lasagna. I love lasanga, and have it. I just have a large salad before it. Since my husband won't eat any of it (whole wheat - blech! - is his motto), I don't fix it. I instead will eat that in a Smart Ones dinner (under 400 calories - though don't recall exactly how many). Now that my son's worked his way into solids, I may be able to start cooking lasagna again in the near future. Right now we're just concentrating on the Kraft Super Mac & Cheese (whole wheat).
There's never been a whole lot of foods I didn't like (except liver, pickled pigs feet, frogs legs, cow's tongue, and buttermilk - all staples of my family - blech!). The only things I really learned to give up was daily diet sodas in favor of water and white bread, pasta and rice in favor of whole grains. I will have the super mac & cheese, or a potato or rice, but I have small portions of them and larger portions of veggies, with a normal portion of a lean meat (grilled), and perhaps a small piece of a whole wheat bread.
I don't get burned out on boiled eggs for breakfast, because I rarely have them. Sometimes I'll take the boiled egg and add soy mayo and spread the egg salad on a mini whole wheat bagel. Or I cover that bagel with light strawberry cream cheese. Or I put a scrambled egg on there with a slice of cheese and maybe a piece of Canadian bacon. Other days I have cream of wheat or oats with raisins or bananas, perhaps with brown sugar or cinamon. And some mornings I just have fruit and yogurt. If I make breakfast boring, I'm going to tire of it and stray.
Even if you're working and don't have time in the mornings, egg salad can be prepared the night before. You can also premix scrambled egg or omlet and have it ready to cook (you can even fix it in the microwave). Instant oatmeal doesn't take about 10 seconds to pour on water and 2 minutes in the micro. Same with cream of wheat. And yogurt and fruit? No prep time at all.
For dinners, I usually keep a batch of grilled meats. I break out the George Foreman and grill up fish and chicken to last several days. And if you've never seen the new Birdseye Steamfresh veggies, you really need to check them out. Add a side of brown minute rice in the micro and jazz it up with some seasonings (Mrs. Dash, parsley, maybe some bullion).
I hate to cook. So my grill and microwave are my buddies. And cooking just doesn't take that long anymore.
That is quite the list, thanks! You mention sunflower seeds which is great, I like to toast them, grind them, and add to soup. It gives it a nuttiness that is wonderful.
The vegetarian thing is something that I have gradually been moving towards. I can't say that I ever see myself giving up chicken or fish but I have cut out 90% of the red meat and I have incorporated many vegetarian meals during the week. I feel much better.
Lately I have spent less time eating but more time in the kitchen. It is a overwhelming feeling to change what you put in your body but its also very liberating. I don't do much of the low fat products and I am curious how many of you find that helpful. I have been replacing high fat products but things like cheese and yogurt ect... starts getting tricky. Can you simply make the usual with the usual ingredients and just portion control? I am curious how others deal with this dilemma. We have tended to be a sourcream/cheese/heavy cream kind of family if you know what I mean.
Almost Heaven I am going to try the soy mayo , I didn't know that it existed! I have struggled to get a morning breakfast routein going. On a normal pre-diet day my breakfast is coffee and occasionally some crap breakfast sandwich from a fast food place. Now, I have no energy until about midday and I can only attribute it to the low carb low sugar dieting. Many say my lack of breakfast is too blame. I picked up some Kashi cereal and that has helped a little.
I love to cook and now that I have to think about what I eat much more I am spending more time actually cooking. I have been trying things that I never have before just because why not make this "diet" experience fun, right?!!
Anyway I will try the egg and soy mayo thing this week, thanks!
I am leaving on a trip for three days (first trip since diet) and I am wondering about tips when going out to eat, what does everyone do? We went to Dave Barbecue the other day and I was lost the salad was horrible!
Can you simply make the usual with the usual ingredients and just portion control? I am curious how others deal with this dilemma. We have tended to be a sourcream/cheese/heavy cream kind of family if you know what I mean.
That's an interesting question. When I decided to change how I ate forever, I knew I had to like the foods I ate or I would never stick with it. For dinner, I ate fairly well, lots of curries, stir fries, pasta dishes, quesadillas, enchilaladas - I was practically a vegetarian (never bought meat for the home). I made adjustments to favorite recipes - less cheese, less oil, more vegetables (wilting spinach in pasta sauce for example) and retired a few (I used to make a great fried eggplant with blue cheese sauce).
For breakfast and lunch, I made big changes because I used to eat JUNK. Donuts, muffins and full fat lattes with whipped cream for breakfast, pizza for lunch.
I honestly do not feel deprived and have very few cravings (usually for steak, which is weird or peanut butter, which is not). I can sit in front of a plate of cookies or baked goods and not want any.
I do believe that our bodies are hard-wired to want fat and sugar - energy that is easily stored in times of famine. If you start to restrict calories, your body can start clamoring for what will replenish the loss the quickest. I was careful not to overly restrict calories and I eat a LOT of whole, healthy foods every 2 hours now (including a good ratio of protein, carbs and healthy fats). Maybe I don't have weird cravings because my body isn't missing anything?
I am leaving on a trip for three days (first trip since diet) and I am wondering about tips when going out to eat, what does everyone do? We went to Dave Barbecue the other day and I was lost the salad was horrible!
Ah travel. Did I mention I'm a corporate trainer that travels quite a bit for work? This year I have already spent 4 weeks in Asia and 4 weeks in Valencia, CA.
I have to do this forever, so I have to be flexible. A good example is this fall. I was delivering training in Australia. I was staying in a hotel, the vendor facility was out in the middle of nowhere. I had no way to pack lunch and no way to get to a healthy lunch. The vendor facility said they would arrange lunch for the week. Mon and Wed were greasy sandwiches with butter on the bread (ugh - thanks Aussies!), Tuesday and Thursday were Dominos pizza (2 of the 3 times I've had pizza since I changed my life).
I ate the greasy sandwiches and the pizza and nothing bad happened. I didn't gain any weight, I enjoyed the pizza (not so much the buttery sandwiches). A couple of weeks ago, my work had fabulous snacks with a meeting - chocolate dipped fruit, hummus, cheese, crackers. I skipped the chips and big ole chocolate chip cookies, but couldn't resist the chocolate fruit, hummus, cheese, crackers. I put little bites of each "treat" item on my plate, filled the rest of the plate with veggies and limited myself to ONE trip. Once again, nothing bad happened from eating brie and crackers, a piece of pita with humus and 1 chocolate covered strawberry, 1 chocolate dipped apricot and 1 chocolate dipped pineapple.
Find out if your hotel has a mini frig or microwave, these can make a big difference. I normally baggie up quick oats and dried blueberries. I take a bowl and a spoon and I have a healthy breakfast everyday. Maybe your hotel will offer continental breakfast, usually they have at least fruit, cereal/skim milk. The hotel in Valencia had a great granola, yogurt combo that I loved. I was also able to snag fruit to eat the rest of the day from the continental breakfast bar.
Apples and oranges are easy to carry around. I also like Odwalla bars, trail mix, soy chips, etc. When dining out, I just try to make the best decisions possible. I don't eat out of the bread basket, and stay far away from the chips at a Mexican place. Grilled fish/chicken is a fairly safe bet, don't be afraid to special order (ask for no butter, double the veggie side dish instead of rice/potato).
My overall rule is - try to do the best I can. Try to plan as much as I can, but don't freak out if life doesn't go according to plan. Life is going to be messy and unpredictable. I am going to eat things that I don't plan on eating. I will try to avoid my personal "big bads" (soda, fast foods, fried foods, packaged baked goods), but I need to remain flexible with the rest. I did not get to 200 lbs because of one work trip, I was 200 lbs because I consistently ate badly, every day, nearly every meal. Now, I consistently eat well, nearly every meal. I look at it like this - when I was heavy, one grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side would not have made me thin. Now that I'm maintaining my weight loss, one greasy pizza lunch will not make me heavy.
About breakfast, I absolutely love breakfast. My absolutely favorite breakfast is a whole wheat tortilla, smeared with natural peanut butter, heated in the microwave. Then I wrap it around a really ripe banana - it is freakishly good.
Glory87...I will have to trust you on the wheat tortilla, pb, and banana thing because I simply dislike wheat tortillas , maybe it is a brand thing and I haven't found one I like.
What about liquor, I am on a work trip with coworkers and it is a bet we will go out. I know I need to stay away from beer but wine can get pricey, what are my other options?
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I look at it like this - when I was heavy, one grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side would not have made me thin. Now that I'm maintaining my weight loss, one greasy pizza lunch will not make me heavy.
I totally agree with you, but since I am only three weeks in this diet, I just don't want to cheat too much. When I am down 30, 40 pds I will probably feel better about eating pizza .
I'm not a big drinker. When I was actively losing weight, I had wine once - on my birthday. If you want to drink and be social, I would definitely "nurse" a drink and alternate alcoholic beverages with water or soda water with lime. If it were me, I'd have a single glass of really good red wine, but if you think wine would be too pricey (hellloooo expense account!) here's a thread LLV posted that lists the caloric content of alcohol so you can make an informed decision:
For tortillas, I like the 50 calorie La Tortilla factory tortillas. White tortillas would work fine too, there is nothing bad about with white rice or white potatos or white tortillas. I just prefer the more nutritional options if they are available.
Glory87 wow you have really done a nice job explaining the good things to eat etc. Thanks for taking such time to share. I am going to use some of your ideas etc. I have been trying to lose and keep it off for sometime now. I have 12.5lbs to go. My total goal was 19lbs. so I am on my way. I eat pretty healthy and love to cook.
I think having variety makes a huge difference in sticking to the new way of eating. That way we aren't bored and slip up. For me I calorie count most of the time trying to stay currently around 1400 cals. I also try to watch portions, read serving sizes, eat fresh fruits, veggies and watch the bread. I use the George Forman in the winter months my grill in the summer. I yo yo 'd a bit and now I am in the mode to keep on track. The pictures from this site of a Glory whom lost so much wt. and met her goal is very motivating. Glory hurray for you!!!!!!!!!!Congrats! I have a site that I have been on for quite awhile very supportive and an every day most of the time event. It helps keep me on track along with my scale. I gave that up for a bit and went by how I felt and looked some lbs. creeped back on I need to use that white square to keep balance and my journal. Its nice to look back and see how you have done... For me it works well not everyone likes to journal. I will stop in again the info. was great thanks everyone.
You can get the soy mayo at the grocery store in the health food section. It tastes more like mayo than the fat free crap, and has about the same calories, but is probably all around better for you than the fat free.
I hate to cook too and sometimes will do a cooking spree and free things. So I once made my own breakfast sandwiches, using whole wheat bagels with an egg and slice of cheese. I individually sealed these and froze them. So then I'd just nuke one in the morning.
I haven't been able to skim the whole thread, but if you eat in the car, on the go, try to water down oatmeal with enough milk so that it's drinkable and take it with you in a cup.
When I'm at home I love everything I eat. It helps that I've started to love healthy food (the thought of a burger makes me want to throw up - not least because I've become 99% vegetarian since I changed the way I eat), but I don't deprive myself of anything I want to eat, if I want it enough. My old comfort foods like chocolate, wine, cheese etc are still on the menu, but I'm more aware of how I'm eating (or drinking) them, and I make sure that I limit them sensibly. So I usually only drink wine at weekends now, and I eat chocolate in much smaller quantities. I've found vegetables that I enjoy eating, and I incorporate them into my meals.
The big thing is that I make a bit effort to try new recipes as often as possible. I'll buy a new recipe book, or a magazine that I know will have good veggie friendly recipies in it and I go straight out to the shop to buy the ingredients. I don't put it on a pile of something to try someday, when I have something special coming up, every day is special enough to merit a new exciting recipe. Today I tried a new salad recipe (which was delicious) and I'm making a new tomato and spinach pasta sauce, both from a magazine I bought yesterday.
I eat cakes and ice cream from time to time, but most of the time I'm quite happy with berries and yoghurt (or when I'm feeling indulgent, cream), or a pomegranate (deliciously indulgent), or just plain old apples.
I actually got really annoyed on holiday recently because the food was so uninspiring - all the bars had pretty much the same menu, a lot of the stuff was pre-prepared and bought in, and I was just sitting there whingeing about how I could do a much better job! The days when I got to raid the supermarket and prepare my own meals were the highlights, eating wise!
A good knife and cutting boardsssssss
Ceramic cooking pots
pressure cooker (especially my electric one)
breadmaker (so wonderful for homemade pizza dough)
lots of extra refrigeration space.. (more than one frig)
variety of beautiful dishes
In doing the survey I almost picked the first category: "Everyday, if I don't love it then I don't eat it" but then realized that although most often the things I eat are both healthy and enjoyable to eat, sometimes I do eat things I don't because they are good for me.. I could really only think of a couple examples....
bitter greens.. I put them in a salad every now and then because they are good for me.. also because I think it is important that I stretch my repertoire of taste.
ginseng- (not recommended for someone with high blood pressure)... my blood pressure is low and I am also a "cold" kind of person... ginseng gives me energy but I don't really "love" chewing it when a piece winds up in my soup bowl or drinking the tea.
) can eat there for about $25. On base restaurants are one of the underrated perks of the military. It's right across from the O club, and so obviously has the same cooks, but I digress. My point was, I can get their pot roast and a double side of vegetables, and as long as I cut the fat off the roast I'm good to go. They do look at us funny for turning down a potato, but in Hawaii folks eat rice 3x a day! (Sticky white rice, which has a very high GI.) 
replacing the fat
You mention sunflower seeds which is great, I like to toast them, grind them, and add to soup. It gives it a nuttiness that is wonderful.
I can't say that I ever see myself giving up chicken or fish but I have cut out 90% of the red meat and I have incorporated many vegetarian meals during the week. I feel much better. 
, I didn't know that it existed! I have struggled to get a morning breakfast routein going. On a normal pre-diet day my breakfast is coffee and occasionally some crap breakfast sandwich from a fast food place. Now, I have no energy 
until about midday and I can only attribute it to the low carb low sugar dieting. Many say my lack of breakfast is too blame. I picked up some Kashi cereal and that has helped a little. 
.
